Disclaimer: Not mine

A/N: To Darkness Dweller Sephiroth and all others who noticed that I wrote K' as a clone, okay, I've been mistaken, and I admit I'm wrong! But hey, if you want a nice excuse, just remember that things are a bit different here, sorta like an A/U. I mean, hello, Rock is still a teen here! By all rights the guy should be in his thirties or so. Anyway, I should have said this sooner. And just to emphasize for all those that don't know or are confused,

K' IS NOT A CLONE!

So happy reading, and R&R as always, and Happy Halloween!

Chapter 11: Scare Tactics: The Revenge of the Ultimate Sealed-Up God of Destruction

As the excitement from round 1 began to ebb away, it had finally been announced that the second round would begin in three weeks. By then, the winners of the first round would have to report or forfeit the second match-up. The losers of the first round were allowed one more chance before they were kicked out of the tournament. Although some may have found that a second chance wouldn't serve to weed out the weak, no one else was really complaining as all competitors took their training to a whole new level. Things have only just begun to heat up.

"Why have you come to me now? Of all days, did you think I wouldn't refuse you today?" Geese Howard sat imperiously in his genuine Italian executive chair behind a great oak desk, kept meticulously clean, with only an organizer, a phone, and several date books placed strategically for easy access. Behind him, several henchmen stood at beck and call.

Before his guest could even answer him, Geese continued to speak. "Of course, you're right! I cannot refuse anyone a favor today, for today truly a momentous day! Today in fact, is the 20th anniversary of the day I ascended to power, the day I killed Jeff Bogard!"

As instructed, everyone clapped while Ripper played a few bars of a high-spirited little jig on a piano by the corner of the office.

"So how many do you want?"

Geese looked down at the little girl-scout with an evil eye, irked that he was interrupted "Give me six boxes of those mint-thingys and get out of my office."

"I can only sell in quantities of ten and or higher." The little girl stated. She was holding firm on this because her troop needed to beat their rival, troop 2 and gain innumerable amounts of praises and untold quantities of pizza and ice cream. And besides, she hadn't sold over 300 boxes on her own by being an honest scout.

"Five." Geese stared at the girl hard, daring her to raise the quantity.

"Eight, with a 10 discount, only because you've been my best customer for the last 5 years." The girl eyed his checkbook greedily but her face was calm and her voice was cool.

"Deal. Ripper, sign it over and bring the goods to storage. Nice doing business with you Sally. Look forward to seeing you next year!" Geese waved goodbye as did Sally, but when she left, he cursed himself. The girl was getting greedy every year! Soon, he'll have to put a stop to it. He hated making smart business people like her disappear into his giant backyard (and what suckers people were, for actually believing that he just liked having a big yard) but business was business...

"And speaking of which..." Geese turned to Ripper, back from paying the little extortionist of a girl scout. "You said you wanted to get your nephew to work for as an intern or apprentice, correct?"

"I think he's got what it takes. He's very determined" Ripper replied informally. They've been through so shoot-outs and hostile corporate take-overs that formality was a rarity between the two.

"What's his name?"

"Well, everyone calls him Ralphie. Good kid. He could be your enforcer."

Geese thought this over. It'd be too risky to put him out on the field so soon. The boy had even graduated high school yet. Perhaps some nice paper work would do him some good. Ripper mentioned that he was afraid of blood, which was a bit strange for anyone in his family. The kid could be a bookkeeper, keep track of his finances and the like. And then he can move onto loan sharking or whatever.

"Okay, put him in charge of my taxes. I usually don't send it in so early, but this year, I figured I should get a head start... I want him to work with my accountant and learn what needs to be done."

"Are you sure?" Ripper wasn't sure it was such a good idea because of one thing. The boy was a nitwit. He was afraid of blood and had the mental competency of a wet cardboard box. Being an enforcer would have been far simpler. No one harms the boss. A simple command (and life duty) for a simple mind, and it wouldn't involve much blood, and if it did, it'd be a great way for Ralphie to get over it.

"Let him learn the tricks of the trade with my accountant. Anyway, just get it done! I'm off to golf a few strokes." With that, Geese took his golf clubs and stood near his window. Within moments, as perfectly timed by Geese as possible, a helicopter floated into view with a ladder hanging from the side. Pressing a button from underneath his desk, the windows retracted vertically. With one great motion he jumped out the window and grabbed onto the ladder, golf clubs and all.

"Cancel all my appointments! I won't be back until later tonight!" Geese called. His laughed resounded in the sky as he flew towards his own private island, secluded from civilization, to have a little R&R.

Later that night, Ripper had to be the bearer of bad news. No one else had the guts to do it. They all had a nice, illegal, living going. Why risk their necks for the incompetence of someone else's relatives? Ripper had been waiting all day in the Geese Mansion, while Marie and Rock went about their tasks. He mulled over the events that had led to this catastrophe. As predicted, the intern Ralphie was a nincompoop at best; he had disgraced the family name.

Suddenly the door flew open, surprising the never-easily-startled Ripper. One of the double doors flew off its hinge and Geese stormed in angrily. He looked tired, angry, and hot for blood. A nice golf ensemble had already replaced his neat and tidy business suit when he had arrived, but the clothes were a bit torn and worn out for some unknown reason. Geese was livid as he threw his bag of golf clubs across living room and into the kitchen, shattering the glass top table.

"Hey dad." Rock said as he eased his way past him and out the door.

"Don't call me that until you've killed that bastard of a Bogard!" Geese yelled back. He grabbed the broken door with the both of his hands and slammed it back in place. He glared at it, waiting, and daring it to move. When it didn't he marched right past Marie and Ripper and into the kitchen, and inspected the contents of the refrigerator.

"What the hell happened to him?" Ripper wondered aloud. His question was answered by Marie and it wasn't something he would ever thought he'd hear.

"He hates golfing." She replied simply.

Ripper turned around to look at her. Surely she must be kidding! "He's been golfing since the day I met him! He's always so calm after a day of golfing! He's always been so clear headed and focused after golfing!"

"True... but didn't you ever wonder why he's so calm before and after he's signed several death warrants, bounties, and declaring war on other Families?" Marie asked pointedly. "He hates golf. He can't play it, and it makes him angry. He comes home, furious, and he wakes up even angrier than the night before! He goes to work, and focuses all his anger into his work. It's a way for him to recharge his batteries, since his work is so tiring. It invigorates him!"

"...Somehow that explains a lot." Ripper muttered. He walked over to where Geese was, angrily slamming the ham onto the bread with enough force to destroy the kitchen counter. Ripper hesitated when Geese took a particularly large cleaver and stabbed it into the mayonnaise with the glee not even Choi express when he's attacking an opponent.

"Good evening, sir." Ripper said. He hadn't said that in years but somehow he was sure that it would ensure his survival for the duration of his time here.

"What is it?" Geese muttered more than asked as he began spreading the mayonnaise furiously over the bread with the fervor a dictator would have at carving up the world.

"It's my nephew..."

Geese stopped immediately, intently focused on Ripper now. He's seen Geese give that look, the look that proclaimed anger; it was a sentence to death. Never in his life had he thought he'd be on the receiving end of it. He almost ran away but duty forced him to stay.

"You're in my way." Geese explained. He physically moved him from his place in front of the refrigerator. Ripper breathed a sigh of relief but there was more to be done before he could relax.

"Sir, it's my nephew. I had high hopes he could be your enforcer, by looks at least. He's intimidating but he hates the sight of blood. I thought the work would toughen him up. But you insisted that he help with accounting duties." Ripper reminded Geese, but he paid no heed as he slammed the cleaver straight home into several tomatoes at once, first impaling them through the center and glided the blade upwards, slicing them cleanly in half.

"What happened?" Geese asked. He savagely bit into his sandwich, the tomatoes and spurts of ketchup and mayonnaise leaking from the sandwich and his chin made him look feral.

"You're being audited..."

"I'm being WHAT?!" Geese exclaimed. He threw his sandwich against the wall and began slamming his fist into the kitchen counter.

"I can't believe this! I am not being audited! I cannot believe this! Don't those -eaters and $&!# know who they're dealing with?"

"Sir, I'm really sorry that you're being audited but you know how it is with the IRS! We can't deal with them like your other enemies. We'll have to do this by the law." Ripper grimaced as he realized his mistake. The look in Geese's eye only proved it, as they widened at the "L" word.

And a new string of curses began...

As instructed, Chizuru practiced her incantations on a daily basis for the promised day, when Orochi had to be freed so that he can be resealed, all for the sake of love. Sitting in a lush chair in her bedchamber, she silently mused the situation. In her younger years, optimistic exuberance at the thought of banishing the Orochi from this plane of existence thrilled her. But as everyone else had realized, having Orochi blood doesn't necessarily mean a declaration of war, or worse, by those of the Kagura and Kusanagi clan. Back then she would have never been unwilling to accept the generations of hate for the Orochi, let alone free him and his hell-spawn, even if it's for love. How times change...

Chizuru looked at her watch. It was close to the bewitching hour, she pondered to herself. Of course, she didn't really believe in that hocus-pocus witchcraft stuff. But it really was time for her to practice her incantations. You don't become the head of the Kagura clan without learning the basic and advanced incantations, and certainly not without some practice.

But as she dressed in the ceremonial robe of the traditional Miko (mostly because she really liked the way it seemed to slimmed her figure) her apprentices were sneaking around the mansion, particularly close to where Chizuru kept her ingredients for her incantations. They snuck around with the cover of night as their shield, their courage fueled by the hope that Chizuru won't tan their hides later.

Adopted into the family by Chizuru, they were twin girls, orphaned by the now long extinct N.E.S.T.S cartel. Found as street rats hiding and evading the authorities for their bakery raids, Chizuru was touched by their story, but mostly by the vision imparted to her by the powers that be. These children were special, they were to be protected, and all that she truly knew was that they were incredibly perceptive and quick studies. Chizuru would be trying to understand her vision for some time, but as of now, she had to take them under her wing.

Simply known as Sora and Nanako, they crept seamlessly along the wall as they finally had finished what they had set out to do. Being bored and feeling childish, they've chosen to cause as much damage without having to worry about being punished too badly. They looked around before they finally snuck back into their rooms. Unlike some pranksters, they wouldn't stay to around to observe the damage. Why wait around to get caught when you can just record everything onto DVD format and watch it at your leisure?

Sora, being the brightest of the apprentices, calculated a humorous outcome that would result from her and her sisters' meddling. They knew Chizuru's habits at night and the incantations and the ingredients she used.

"If I'm right, Chizuru-sempai and the room will be covered in green Jell-O! The extra chameleon essence should make the stuff stay on for at least twenty four hours!" Sora snickered as she tossed away an empty box of the said dessert. The moonlight caught in the lens of her glasses made her look slightly sinister. Her short hair, petite frame, and demure ways were the perfect cover for her prankster's way of life.

Nanako nodded enthusiastically as she jumped into her bed. Her appearance seemed almost too innocent but she was just as prone for practical jokes as Sora. As she laid down, her long hair practically framed her lithe body. Although she didn't spoke much, Sora knew that her sister was waiting and planning as well, but only because of the fact that tonight's joke didn't have the same "Umph" in them as Nanako liked to point out.

"Good night sis." Nanako replied sweetly and Sora nodded her reply. Within moments the two were off to sleep and hopefully they would be able to dream up something more disastrous.

Something inside her just snapped. She saw their faces in her mind's eye and envisioned her hands wrapping around their throats. She screamed their names as the slimy Jell-O clung to her skin.

Her mind raced as the events still seemed to be happening in her head, but in slow motion, and she tried in vain to force herself to run. But it was useless. She was now covered in the slimy dessert for the last five minutes, trying to remove the sticky substance with no luck. Globs of the gelatin clung to her clothes, her skin, and most importantly to Chizuru, her hair.

As Sora and Nanako laughed at their sensei's luck, something was amiss. Sora noticed it first, even before Chizuru. Thunder and lightning sounded in the distance. It was a clear night and the stars were out, but now their brilliant luminescence was shadowed by the coming storm.

In truth, Sora and Nanako's plan did something far worse than just plant a treacherous exploding dessert bomb for their caretaker.

I'm still here... I... where am I? I only remember so much. Wait, I was banished! Again, I was defeated by the Kusanagi! Damn their hides! I'm back here, in the darkness. I wonder...

All right then! I'm not totally vanished from the plane of existence! Let's see if my vision can extend to the enemies that have sent me here to this hell dimension. Hmm...I wonder who was the one to wake me up like this? Must be one of my disciples. Whatever the case, I can plan for my next attempt at revival!

...Iori's looking the same as ever. Strange, he looks a little older... My oh my, is that a gray hair? Hahahahaha! I wonder how long has it been?

Eh? He has a family? Of all things... a daughter as well...

"Rina! Where's that firewood? Stop goofing around!"

Rina? Hmm... She might be a good hostage. What's this now, someone approaching Iori? I remember her, it's something-something... Asamiya! Yeah, that's her! What's she doing there?

"Kyo's back with Deer!"

"Deer! Yes! Finally he could do something right!"

"Hey, watch it before I decide to give you the one with the most arrowheads in it!"

It's him! Kyo Kusanagi! God damn him, he still looks the same after all these years! Look at him, holding those deer carcasses over his shoulder like that... What's he up to? Actually, now that I think about it, what the hell is going on? Why is everyone being so buddy-buddy with each other? Even Iori's daughter seems to be rather tolerant of Kyo.

What the?! Well, looks like those two got together after all... Well, certainly an improvement of that last girlfriend of his. What a shrew that one was.

Iori's still preoccupied with the firewood. Kyo and Asamiya are still being all lovey-dovey. Three more people? Ahh I see, the blue haired one must be Iori's wife... Strange.

Ye gads! The other two are the exact copies of that Kusanagi bastard and that Asamiya... person!

What is wrong with the world?! Ugh, that's it, I'm looking around some more. Maybe I can find some allies to get me out of here. I have to eradicate the Kusanagi strain before they start to open their own restaurants or something!

Wait... something's happening...

"Hey Kasumi, what did you want to show me?"

"Oh, just this!"

"(GASP) It's Kenji! And Rina! Snuggling!"

"Yep!"

"I knew that fight this morning was a little different this morning!"

..................Have I gone mad? Snuggling? NOT ONLY HAS THE YAGAMI BETRAYED ME BUT NOW THEY DARE TO MEND THEIR TIES AND SEVER THE FEUD FROM THEIR PAST?

Unbeknownst to the inhabitants across the entire globe except for a select few, Orochi's anger was felt in waves as the imprisoned deity began to fly into a terrible rage. And further still, no one knew what consequences this will bring upon the world. As Sora and Nanako dutifully cleaned the mansion and Chizuru's robes, Chizuru immediately began to work, and as she did, she wondered if Orochi's fits of anger would affect anything at all.

Somewhere along the Kusanagi mansion, deep within the empty house guarded by the most expensive security systems made at the hands of BURN-Tech industries (another integral part of the Kusanagi empire) a loud crackling sound could be heard. Wind started to pick up from inside the recreation room and suddenly something akin to a lighting bolt pierced the air, creating a miniature black wormhole in the room. And just as quickly two figures fell onto the couch with a loud plop, before the wormhole disappeared.

A groaning could be heard. The two figures began to stir. Suddenly, one of them spoke...

"Luna, are you okay?"

The second figure nodded. "I've been through worse, Artemis. Wait, where are we? Where are the Sailor senshi?!"

The tiny figure jumped off the couch and towards the window. The small white cat known as Artemis jumped onto the windowsill and looked out the window. The moon rose high above the city but there were dark clouds everywhere covering most of the night sky.

"I don't know Luna. But the Sailor senshi might not be the ones in trouble..."

Along the rooftops of Southtown, a figure flew from another wormhole, and hit the rooftop. However, practiced at rolling and in the art of dodging and basic stealth techniques, his nature instincts allowed him to quickly roll up into a ball before hitting the roof. He quickly rolled out onto his feet and stood up defensively, tense at the sudden peace and quiet. The wormhole immediately closed, giving no time for him to react. He reached out towards it but it was no use. He looked around and found his stomach in a knot.

What was this place?

Rikimaru knew no fear. He knew only the mission, the risks, and the rewards of a job well done, which meant that he knew that in the end, his deeds saved the lives of the innocent and punished the wicked. For every battle fought, for every path treaded, he knew nothing of the distress that grips the minds of those that fear the things that lurk in the dark.

But now he knew uncertainty. What had happened? The last thing he remembered was the cave he had fought Lord Mei-Oh had begun to collapse, and Ayame and Princess Kiku were trapped along with him. Acting upon the fortitude he himself had forged on the field of battle and in the shadows of the night, he led his partner Ayame and his charge Princess Kiku towards the entrance of the cave, only to find it blocked by a giant boulder. Knowing no other option, he pushed the boulder out of the way, but he had to keep it open long enough for the others to slip out.

"Leave! A ninja's life is forfeit to those he protects; I have no choice! Now do your duty, and leave me!"

"Ayame..." he whispered. He walked out towards the edge of the rooftop. Rikimaru looked out over the city of Southtown. His uncertainty grew until he heard something very familiar.

Down below a shout for help had roused his suspicions and caused his uncertainty to cease. In place of it, he knew only what must be done. Knowing full well his sword had been left with Ayame, he swung down from the rooftops with his grappling hook; relieved that he could immerse himself in something he had known all his life, and forget about the present.

"You have got to be kidding me! I can not believe this!" A young man lashed out at a tree and soon it was knocked down with one punch, but not before having a small portion of it turn into sawdust and splinters from the impact. "I gotta get outta here fast before anyone finds me!" he muttered as he suddenly realized that his rash action might have alerted the nearby civilians. He eyed the machinery that stood in front of him, the same one that transported him here of all places. The size of it, as well as the blinding yellow paintjob wasn't very inconspicuous. Taking a small pill like object from a small box, he threw it at the machine. In a puff of smoke, the only thing that remained was the capsule like object on the ground.

"What was that?"

The young man turned around, face to face with another man of his age. He was dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt, which was surprising since it gets cold at night when you're camping.

"Who are you?" he asked, wondering if this he should just make a break for it now.

"The name's Kenji. What's yours?"

He hesitated. That name, it wasn't anything he's ever heard of. Perhaps the time machine had went back further than anticipated? After a few more moments of deliberating the consequence of letting someone know his identity, he came to the conclusion that it couldn't hurt.

"I'm called Trunks."

"Who are you?" Hikari asked the thing in front of her. The thing towered over her like a beast that it was, its tentacles wavering in the air, gnashing teeth, and drooling tongue whipping about. The slimy green skin glistened as the moonlight bathed it in its ethereal light. A large cylindrical tube protected most of its upper body, most likely to provide air or some other chemical gas it needs to breathe to survive.

"My name can not be pronounced with your silly little earth tongue! Just call me Kodos!"

Hikari nodded. "So what are you?"

"What am I?" Kodos questioned, slightly insulted at the question. "I'm a higher being, that's what! I'm a high-ranking explorer from the planet Rigel-7! I'm the only female to make it this far!" she replied in a very manly and deep voice.

"If you're so high ranking, what are you doing out here all alone?" Hikari asked.

Kodos looked around, realizing Hikari's question had unintentionally backed her into a corner. Her leaned over her, her single eyebrow furrowed at her in irritation. Her giant red eye was focused solely on the unimpressed Hikari.

"You know, we eat the young on our planet when they get nosy about adults and their affairs!" she replied.

"Lady, get away from me! I'm warning you!"

Kasumi was holding Athena back with all her strength. If Athena had been in her right mind, Kasumi might have a hard time dealing with her Psycho powers, but then again, it was pretty hard right now. Holding Athena from the waist, she dug her heels while Athena only struggled forward with her arms outstretched. Her mind was gone, sucked into a vast vortex that was her love of furry animals.

As they decided to take a little stroll before Kyo and Iori would be done cooking, they had decided to rest overlooking another small lake that rested at the foot of a small hill. But their quiet stroll had been interrupted when a sudden flash had lit up a dark corner of the forest. Upon investigating the area, the two stumbled upon something neither would have expected in their lifetimes...

A 3-foot high purple hedgehog, clad in a purple jacket, boots, sneakers and gloves stood before them. From the looks of it, the hedgehog was a he, and he carried a rather large sword strapped to his back. When Athena and Kasumi found him, he had his back turned towards the pair, inspecting a vehicle of sorts.

"What on earth is that?" Kasumi whispered to Athena.

However, the madness that would grip Athena moments from this point had already begun to sink in. "Let's take a closer look..."

As they did, the hedgehog turned around, and Athena had finally lost her sanity. Unbeknownst to Kasumi, Athena has a unhealthy fixation with furry animals that borderlines addiction. Seeing the hedgehog standing there, talking, walking, and wearing clothes, was all too much for Athena to handle. The cuteness factor overloaded her mind and now she was just a zombie, desperately craving to smother the young hedgehog with cuddling and perhaps a conversation in non-coherent cutesy phrases.

"Who are you? What are you?" Kasumi yelled over to the hedgehog.

"I'm Grapes, and what's wrong with your friend?"

"I think she likes animals!" Kasumi gritted out. Athena only continued to struggle against her friend. For a brief moment he wondered if he should turn super. He knew that in his super form he'd be invincible, but he doubted the potency of it as he observed Athena with her eyes glazed over and also pupil-less, teeth somehow filled with sharper canines than usual, and her pale skin glistening against the moonlight.

"Oooowhoooa..."

"What are you waiting for? Get out of here!"

Rina leaned against a tree, her mind totally relaxed but focused. The whole trip could be considered a very taxing experience due to all the endless hunting she had to do, but taking that bath by the lake cleared up her head. It wasn't her idea and now that she thought about it, she knew why she felt a bit uneasy about the lake now that her head was so much clearer, and it wasn't just because the lake was shaped in the form of a skull with crossbones.

It had been past midnight and not a single one of them had a thing to eat. Someone, and no one was naming names, had not secured the food from wild bears and animals. Whether it was the fault of Iori or Kyo, it didn't matter. Athena immediately took charge of the situation since everyone was complaining of stomach pains.

"Well, we'll need firewood and some more supplies. Kenji, go into that dark corner of the forest for some deer, berries, or anything edible." Athena pointed out to her left. Kenji looked over to that direction and felt a sense of dread as several shrieks came from out of the forest.

"Hikari, get some more firewood honey. Try that abandoned well, I think that's the only firewood that's left in this forest!"

Hikari looked up from the dying campfire, stick in hand, and asked with shocked etched across her face, "You mean that abandoned well where people get sucked into and never return?"

"Yep. Rina, why don't you go take a bath, you reek! There's another lake nearby, I think it was the one where the two sexy teens drowned while on aboard a damaged boat!" Athena spoke excitedly, proud that she was so knowledgeable about local history.

Rina only grunted her affirmation. The last few days without communication with anyone else and taking small breaks, only for food and sleep, have transformed her into a predator. Using all the hunting tricks she's learned from her father, the once insane orochi warrior, she's become the perfect killing machine...

"In the meanwhile, Kasumi-chan and I will take a short hike by that old, abandoned, supposedly haunted, N.E.S.T.S compound! I think it's by the Cave of Ordeals..." Athena pondered momentarily.

Kasumi spoke up to confirm it. "Yeah, but if we want to make it back before dawn, we'll have to go through the cave to get to the path and go through it again to get back." Kasumi noted.

"Yeah. Hey, you wanna go by that Indian burial ground?"

"I believe the term is Native American..." Kasumi's eyebrows rose in question. "And since when was there a Native American burial ground in Japan?"

Athena only shrugged. "Beats me."

And here she was, thinking about her surroundings. She suddenly just realized how weird it was to have so many weird, forbidding places all closely located in these woods. Not that I believe in coincidence...

As she sat underneath a tree, the moonlight above touched along her thighs. In her mind, she briefly wondered about all these places, all these stories, but her worries stem from only one supposed 'horror'.

A year ago, a mad doctor supposed fled into these woods, aptly named, or perhaps just a bad pun, Terra Woods. This mad doctor fled from Holland, barely escaping authorities for his purposely-botched plastic surgeries, all to satisfy his sick fantasies.

She won't admit it, and despite her vicious pedigree, and her training from Iori, she feared nothing save for the desecration of her looks. Why? Perhaps it was untold years of evolution of woman, or just because she cares how she presents herself, the world will never know...

She stood up and stretched a little before she'd make her way back to camp. As she yawned, she took a double take. A figure was moving along the water... it swam gracefully, and rather stealthily. To any mere mortal, it would have been all but invisible. She slipped her right leg out and slipped into her father's fighting stance. Ghost or not, she would battle it, and win!

However what came out was not what she had expected...

A small turtle raised its head from the water, its giant reptilian eyes lurking just above the water, allowing itself to resemble an alligator. Rina relaxed slightly but waited for it to leave. However it only swam faster towards her!

"What the hell..." Rina muttered aloud. What was it doing?

The turtle swam full speed at her, going at least 35 miles per hour; it jumped out of the water once it reached the edge of the lake. Rina looked up and her eyes widened as the turtle must have been at least 3 feet tall! The legs were too well defined and looked strong enough for it to walk upright! And it was blue, which was the most shocking to Rina. Its tail was long and curved at the end to form almost a club like shape. Its eyes were feral and it gnashed its teeth ferociously. Her battle instincts flared and she immediately pushed all thoughts aside. But even through the fog of hate and fighting she could have sworn it talked, and that it said something like 'squirtle'.

"SHI-NE!" Rina cried. Just as the terrapin creature was only inches from her face, she unleashed her modified fireball attack. Usually a perfect move for those that prefer to attack her from the air, this time it was no exception. Her hands full of flames, she would usually land at least five hits with this attack. The blue thing took it point blank and all her hits had made it through. Rina smirked as it flew towards the ground.

As it landed, it flipped itself upright and prepared to attack her. Growling, it said that phrase again. "Squirt! Squirtle squirt squirt Squiirrtle!" It lunged at her once more, looking to smash its head into her, but this did not deter Rina!

"Dark Thrust!" Rina cried out. Her attack hit dead on, as the giant wave of purple fire crashed into the skull of the creature. For a few moments it looked as if the wave was going to overpower the turtle but the wave of flame dissipated and the turtle flew at Rina. She braced herself for the attack and readied to counter attack. She took the strike head on and pulled back for another dark thrust.

"Squirt!" The turtle opened its mouth and water launched out from its mouth! It thoroughly doused her hand, and along with the water, her hand was also doused in streams of saliva.

Rina recoiled and made a sound of disgust but it immediately turned to extreme rage. The turtle had not known it, but it had suddenly invoked a power older than its own ancestry, and a fate worse than death...

"So I said to Daimon--"

"Can it, I'm trying to season this right!"

Kyo smirked as he lay down on a nearby sleeping bag. "Just don't over-oregano it okay?"

"Feh."

At this exact moment, from four different directions, Hikari, Rina, Kenji, and Athena and Kasumi came running towards the campsite from four different directions. Kenji held a cell phone in his hand, followed by a purple haired stranger with a sword, while Hikari was running opposite from him, followed by a large green tentacle monster with one large eye. Athena and Kasumi ran towards Kyo and Iori from the north. Kasumi pulled Athena along while she held onto Grapes with a fearsome strength. Her placid face and pupil-less eyes were now gone, but her strength, pale skin, and sharper fingernails remained. She closed her eyes blissfully as her arm placed a stranglehold on Grapes. Rina was right across from them, her entire body was practically doused in blood. Although she looked tired, she looked extremely satisfied, much like the cat that caught the canary that's on the john.

"Dad, there's intruders in our mansion!" Kenji yelled out.

"I found food! Lots and lots of meat!" Rina cried happily. "Oh and they're so tasty and tender! Well, at least enough for the rest of the trip!"

"Daddy, I think he's here to plan a space invasion." Hikari replied dully. But Kyo caught the look in her eyes, the look of a predator about to strike unexpectedly.

"Am not! I just want to get to my best friend's wedding! I'm the maid of honor!" She replied, once more in her extremely deep, and manlike voice. "And besides, this backwater planet has nothing in terms of fashion! It's all so Z'Quashil, so un-trendy!"

"Dad, there's talking cats in our mansion! And I just got reports that there's a giant monster attack in Tokyo! Two of them are battling it out!" Kenji shouted.

"We have an alien here! Hello!" Hikari stood in front of Kodos, waiting for it to even blink wrong.

"We have a furry baby-wabey!" Athena cooed. Kasumi only covered her eyes with her hand; embarrassed at the ridiculous reaction her friend has to animals.

"Ooh, I wish I had some barbeque sauce for that blue thing!" Rina smacked her lips in anticipation for finding another one just like it.

Kyo whistled loudly, halting everyone from speaking or even moving. Looking around him, he made a simple command for each person he looked at. He looked over at Kenji first.

"Kenji, tell me about what happened in a minute, let me handle all this. Okay, Athena, let that furry thing go, now! Hikari, take that thing back where you found it!"

"Actually, I don't know how I got here, or how to get back, couldn't I just stay?" Kodos asked.

"Zip it!" Kyo snapped. "Rina, take your father to this new source of protein and for god sakes stop drooling before you put out the fire!"

Athena reluctantly let Grapes go and with his amazing super speed he inherited from his father, he sped off into the direction of the woods, never to be seen again. "Goodbye!" Athena sobbed while waving at the purple streak.

Hikari shrugged, a little confused at what's going on, only pointed towards the forest. Kodos crawled back to where it was last found looking slightly dejected. Kenji walked over to Kyo, cell phone in hand, with Trunks tagging along behind him.

That hedgehog looks very familiar... he thought to himself. Somewhere deep within the forest, Grapes wondered who the mysterious young overlander was, and why he seemed so familiar as well.

"And who are you?" Kyo pointed at Trunks. Surprised that he was pulled out from the background, he told Kyo his name.

"Briefs huh? Never heard of them." Kyo said thoughtfully. "Why are you out here anyway?"

"Me? Oh, just passing through. Well, I should be going. I'll see you guys around sometime. Later Kenji!" Trunks made his quick exit. Not wanting to be subject to more questions, he rushed out of there as fast as he could without drawing anymore attention to himself. And the fact he had a quest to complete, there was no was he could let himself be interrupted by these little side-trips anymore.

Both father and son dismissed the situation. The stranger was of no importance to them. "So what's this about intruders and giant monsters?"

"I just got the call from head of security. Two cats, talking ones are being held somewhere for questioning. As for the giant monsters, one of the staff members was watching late night TV, and he saw the live broadcast. A purple giant with a knife is battling it out with a giant lizard! There's also reports of a giant chicken with a man sticking out of its belly, was flying around and causing trouble. Funny thing was, he wore a traditional blue kimono, and half of his head is somehow merged with the lower half of the chicken." Kenji passed the phone over to his father. "Dad, maybe we should head back first thing in the morning."

Kyo shook his head. What is with all this weirdness? This was more than the usual fanfare. "Yeah, we'll do just that."

Meanwhile, the said giants fought each other with extreme prejudice. The purple giant had long dropped its knife and decided to fight the giant lizard single-handedly. It used its giant horn to try and impale the lizard. However, it was too wily for it. At the very last second, it shot a flaming breath of blue fire straight into the face of the purple giant, temporarily impeding it from another attack. The lizard grabbed the purple giant by the body and knocked him down on the floor. Rearing its head back, it took seven savage bites, and on the either, the head was decapitated and the head eaten bit by bit. Unbeknownst to the citizens of Tokyo, the purple giant is more the living suit of armor that's piloted by a young man. And that young man, age 14, once known as Ikari Shinji, is now dead. The giant lizard roared out a cry of triumph, gorging on a fast of victory.

However one young man was watching. He had appeared as everyone else had. He had no idea where he was, what was going on, and what to do. But he saw a giant monster kill another giant monster. Having never seen blood, death, and destruction, he snapped in anger. Within moments, he called to his partner for assistance. He would make this giant lizard pay!

A small yellow figure raced from his shoulder and onto his hand. It jumped into the air; it's red cheeks glowing with electrical power. Soon, a wave of destructive electric energy unleashed onto the giant lizard.

"CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

"Yeah, way to go!" the boy shouted, his cap turned backwards, as he's always done when his partner goes off to fight the odds alone.

The lizard however only felt a slight disturbance in its dining experience. Taking his tail, he swatted away at the nuisance, much like a cow or a horse would by using their tails to swat at the mosquitoes and flies that bother them.

The young boy had not seen it coming. His mind registered the falling tail with dread, his voice was unable to express his shock, but his face showed that and more. The tail smashed down upon the earth with a thunderous crash. Beneath his tail, another young man has fallen, along with his faithful companion of at least 5 years. The only things that could be seen was the pair of denim-clad human legs and the lower half of his partner sticking out from under the fleshy tail. Its tail could be seen from underneath it, looking very much like a lightning bolt and the cap the young boy wore flew away in the wind, the only evidence that these two were ever in this world.

As all this was taking place, Geese sat alone on his bed, waiting for the IRS agent to arrive to his mansion. He had instructed that his wife take a vacation in Naples for a while as he conducted business. He would have sent Rock with her but the boy insisted on hanging out with Terry Bogard and staying over.

Geese pushed those thoughts aside and remember the task at hand, which was to welcome the IRS agent that would arrive. Pulling some strings he was able to ask for an interview of sorts and straighten this whole mess out. Geese despised people of his profession since to him they were the true criminals, plundering by being honest. Who the hell does that anymore?

He had all his papers ready and receipts ready at a moment's notice. As he looked out the window in search of a black limousine that would carried the IRS agent, he wondered if it would be worth it if he'd blown it up, and then pass it off as an accident.

Suddenly a black van, its windows tinted and missing license plates pulled up to the Geese tower. He frowned at the sight. What was going on? His question was soon answered when two men dressed in black from head to toe, their faces covered in ski masks stepped out with a bag in hand and a handgun.

"This ought to be interesting." Geese pressed a button located conveniently within arms' reach from where he stood.

"They know too much, we have to do it!"

"But, they're just..."

"I know, but they talk!"

Geese watched the play with interest as one man threw the bag down. He too pulled out an 8mm handgun and nodded to his accomplice. They both shot at the bag several times and the sound of dying cats could be heard. They immediately ran back into their van and it took off into the night. Even from high up the tower as Geese was he could still see the blood pooling on the ground.

"Eh. A little messy, but not bad. Wonder who they work for..." Geese mumbled. As the black van turned the corner to disappear forever, the black limousine pulled up to the front of the tower. Geese immediately became guarded.

"Sir, you income tax return states that you make a hundred and fifty trillion yearly. And a hundred and fifty billion last year! That's a big spike from only a five figure income you had all the years prior." The agent stated with blandness that makes even the exclamation mark useless. He was short, bald, wore thick-rimmed glasses, and a drab tweed suit with the elbows replaced with patches. He wrinkled his thick mustache in distaste at the obvious finer things in life, all located in Geeses' office and home away from him. "I'd say everything is in order. You're being audited and there's nothing you or anyone can do about it."

For the one time in his life, Geese had decided to play by the rules of the law, and the policies of the IRS. And now here he was, with all the necessary forms and documents and even receipts from the whole year and last year, and this little man was making a mockery of him! No, in fact, the little man was lording over him with the feeling that he was invulnerable!

"Good day!" The man turned on his heels and prepared to walk towards the elevator. Geese didn't even get to say it was all a mistake! As soon as the little mustached leprechaun walked in, all he could do was complain at how late it was, and from the looks of things, that Geese had deserved it. It wasn't fair because he knew at that point this little piss-ant of a man really wanted to crack his walnuts, in a matter of speaking.

Geese could feel his power growing at the millisecond. Almost instinctual he prepared for a Reppuken, just to injure the man, and then make him disappear from society.

But then suddenly out from nowhere a flash blinded everyone in the room. Another portal had appeared but this time an object fell through and voices could still be heard as the portal slowly began to close.

"Chris, you dropped the rocket launcher!"

"No, get back Jill! No, the tyrant--AAARRGGH!"

Indeed there was a rocket launcher sitting on the floor. It carried four missiles and was pretty light. Insanity gleaming in his eyes, he no longer cared for consequences. He was the King of Southtown and Kings were gods! He grabbed the rocket launcher and propped it on his shoulder and with a sadistic grin took aim at the little man.

As stupid as the little man was, he knew fear, and he knew when to run. He tried to zigzag around the room and narrowly avoided two of the missiles. However he had cornered himself by the window. The little man looked at the insane Geese, attired in his business suit and holding a rocket launcher with two missiles left. He then looked down. It was a looooonnnng way down...

"Oooh, I guess I wasted my life..." He ran full force into the window, hoping not to get cut as he shattered it...

But since he was so small of stature and he was physically weaker than his four-year old niece, he bounced off the bulletproof glass like a rubber ball thrown at a wall. Geese laughed manically and pulled the trigger

"SHI-NE!" he yelled, sounded like a certain fire-wielding warrior, currently cooking red lizard over a spit. At the campsite, Iori suddenly sneezed.

"Hmm. Someone's talking about me. Or doing something I would normally do..."

Geese pulled the trigger twice, releasing both missiles. One smashed into the little man, undoubtedly breaking his rib cage. It exploded through the window and exploded as soon as it reached forty feet away from the tower. The second, but last missile, followed it. Geese watched it speed toward an airplane.

For a brief moment, he felt a twang of guilt, pity, and horror. But it disappeared the moment the missile disappeared into a wormhole.

"What the hell?"

Suddenly, the wormhole opened back up again, and a giant blast of energy came forth like a supernova. It struck so fast that Geese nearly didn't see it coming. As prepared for any eventuality, he jumped out of the tower. He looked over his shoulder and watched that giant wave of energy obliterate his entire tower in one fell swoop!

"My towweeeeeeeer!"

Geese opened his eyes and found the dawn slowly approaching him. He sat up to see a tall man standing near him. He dressed rather causally and was clean-shaven. He looked intimidating due to size and muscle mass, but seemed confident without arrogance.

"Are you okay? Did my nephew make it out okay?" the tall man asked.

"Your—nephew?!" Geese shouted.

The tall man nodded. "Yeah. He's always messing up and our superiors wanted me to watch his back. For this assignment they wanted me to tail him and go in with him but he got here way before I did. But, truth be told, never liked him much." He then looked around and whistled. "This your place?"

Geese nodded sadly. He stood up and gestured to the pile of rubble with his arms. "My precious tower..." he dropped his arms to his side and sat back down on his haunches.

The tall man approached Geese and patted his back. "Eh, it's okay. I know my nephew the screw-up probably did you wrong, maybe got you mixed up with some other guy, ya know?" He pulled Geese onto his feet and patted the dust off him.

"Since he's dead, I'll be taking over for him. Consider what you sent in null and void. Send in a new one, and be careful okay? Don't think you would ever want to be audited."

With that said, the tall man walked over to his BMW convertible and drove off into the sunset. Geese, his mind registering what had just happened, jumped in joy as he clicked his heels together in the mid-air. But as he landed, he couldn't help but wonder, what was it that saved him by devastating his Geese tower?

What really happened...

"What the hell was that?" Duo yelled. He, Wufei, Quatre, Trowa, and Heero had just been out on a midnight joyride, when suddenly from out of nowhere, a missile came at them! Of course they avoided it, but they were still shot at! They had to stick to their principles, which was to shoot at whatever shot at you first.

"Looked like one of those old missiles I've seen in my old history books." Quatre stated. "Where do you suppose it came from?"

"Does it matter? I say we strike back!" Wufei shouted. But as usual, Trowa had nothing to add to that, as did (or did not, whatever the case is) Heero.

But actions have always spoken louder than words. He raised his buster rifle and shot off a round into the wormhole before it closed up.

"Terminated." Heero noted. With that said, the Gundam boys flew off for a little fun, something that they've been lacking as of late.

As the Geese tower was blown to smithereens, all the appearances of strange monsters, people, and objects faded away as the light of dawn greet the citizens all over Japan. None of them knew however how close they were to death, seeing it as how all the wormholes popping in and out were tearing the fabric of reality up, and if not stopped in time, the universe would implode on itself.

But what stopped it? What, or whom, had saved the world this time form imminent doom? Well it wasn't Kyo and Iori, that's for sure.

It was actually the power of laughter. Seeing Geese flying off of his tower as that giant blast of energy came rushing at the Geese tower, it had actually stopped his raving and ranting. Never in his life had he laughed so hard. Somehow the mystical forces of the universe righted itself and the tears in the fabric of reality have been mended. Almost everyone whom had wounded up far away from their homes were returned. All except for one, simply because this one wasn't anywhere CLOSE to where he had first appeared, therefore missing his ride back home. Well, then there's also the two talking cats with the crescent moons on their heads... but wasn't it said that curiosity killed the cats?

"I'm asking you one last time, and stop it with that ninja stuff! What is your name?"

"Rikimaru."

"Damn it! Age?"

"26."

"You have white hair!"

"So?"

"Damn it, never mind! Lock him up until he tells us what we want to know!"

"Never! Not even Lord Mei-Oh himself could extract the information you seek from me! I am an Azuma! You will all perish by my blade!"

All in all, everything had returned to normal, and Tokyo was under heavy reconstruction and heavy paint and Lysol from the splatters of blood that seemed to pave the streets. Kyo, Iori, Athena, Kasumi, Kenji, Hikari, and Rina have finally decided to call their vacation a done deal. Everyone was happy except for Kenji and Rina. Although she had not specifically hunted him, they had fought almost non-stop the entire time. But this would all come in handy since the second round to tournament would start soon enough while giving them time to heal.

A/N: Late for a Halloween chap, I know, but a lot of stuff came up. Well, R&R!